EU votes to abolish all mobile roaming fees by Christmas 2015
THE EUROPEAN Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of proposals to scrap mobile roaming fees across Europe yesterday.
Under the new rules voted in yesterday making a call or sending an email from a mobile phone whilst abroad in Europe will cost the same as it does in the UK from 15 December 2015.
“This is what the EU is all about – getting rid of barriers to make life easier and less expensive,” said European Commissioner for digital agenda Neelie Kroes.
UK mobile operator Three, which has already ended roaming charges in 11 countries, said the decision could increase the cost of mobile plans at home if operators are forced to pass on roaming costs.
“Unless lower charges for roaming are supported by lower wholesale prices operators will be forced to charge consumers more at home to cover their overall costs,” a Three spokesperson said.
The Parliament also voted to restrict European internet service providers’ ability to charge online services, like Netflix or YouTube, for faster network access.